The proposed field of rehabilitation science and engineering -- A skeptic's appraisal and suggested alternatives

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Fuhrer, Marcus J.

Affiliations: Health Scientist Administrator -- Emeritus, National Institutes of Health, 13 Kings Valley Court, Damascus, MD 20872, USA. Tel.: +1 301 482 2468; E-mail: fuhrerm@mail.nih.gov

Abstract: Graduate programs in rehabilitation science are relatively recent emergents that have distinct implications for the future of rehabilitation research. Apropos of being relatively new, these programs are marked by considerable diversity in terms of curricula, the backgrounds of their faculty members, and organizational placement within their respective universities. They are similar, however, in basing their justification in part on the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) report, Enabling America: Assessing the Role of Rehabilitation Science and Engineering [1], and its advocacy for an integrative field that is titled, “rehabilitation science and engineering”. This paper describes some of the report's background and critically appraises the proposed field and the reasons why it is championed. An alternative conception of rehabilitation science is outlined, and several needed achievements are highlighted to spur its development.

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2000-122-310

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 12, no. 2-3, pp. 145-150, 2000